End of 2009 letter
Dear Friends,
For a little over a year now I’ve worked in my new role with Young Life as Training Coordinator for Latin America, so the coming end of 2009 provides a great time to look back and reflect. In so many ways it’s been a very good year and I’ve enjoyed this new position immensely as I’ve worked with leaders from 15 different countries in Latin America. Frederick Buechner once said Jesus “never approached from on high, but always in the midst, in the midst of people, in the midst of real life and the questions real life asks.” I’m continually amazed and blessed by the leaders I work with in Latin America and how they are able to enter with Jesus “in the midst” of the world of teens. A friend who met these leaders at one of our training events put it best when he said: “(they are) the leaders of leaders reaching out to the young people in countries all over Central and South America. They reach all levels of society. They reach into the poorest of the poor who live in garbage dumps. They reach the violent and those lost in the world of drugs and alcohol. They reach the most religious who have no clue about the need for a relationship with our Creator, and they reach those who have no desire to even consider God. With very little resources, they sacrifice their lives and give all they have to reach kids and to love Jesus. Can you tell that I am impressed with this group?"
I echo his thoughts. I’m greatly impressed with the group of leaders we have in Latin America and thankful for the role we get to play in supporting them and helping them bring Jesus in the midst. I want to share with you a few highlights from 2009 and how we’re helping support and train these leaders.
Some highlights from 2009—
The 1st ever Area Directors School for Latin America— Probably the highlight of the year for many of us with Young Life in Latin America. 65+ national leaders from 15 different countries gathered together to learn and grow. We mixed in 4 different languages (Spanish, Portuguese, Creole and English) and different experiences with teens, yet were clearly united by a love of Christ and heart for youth. It was a great Kingdom moment. This time was incredibly strategic, since these are the leaders who not only minister to teens in their countries, but train other leaders to do the same. The week together was great, but even better are the reports from leaders who have taken what they learned back to impact leaders in their own countries and who feel God is moving through what they’ve been able to share. One of our Brazilian leaders called their follow up training one of the most important times in the 40+ year history of their ministry!
Helping existing ministries through times of adjustment
Nicaragua’s national leaders have been in the midst of a major transition for the past year as their missionary founder retired and they’ve been challenged to take some big new steps in their national leadership. It’s been a joy to travel there several times to help train their senior leaders, help institute new training programs and camps for young leaders, and work alongside them to plan for the growing future of this ministry. Peru has also been in a real time of transition. Two years ago their ministry seemed to be falling apart, with personal conflicts and poor choices wreaking havoc with their leadership. But all that has changed radically: they’ve improved their work with leaders and not only have seen their existing ministries recover and grow, but they’ve even expanded into new areas. It’s been a real joy to work with their new National Director, Alberto Saenz, who left a higher paying job as a business manager to answer God’s call to use his skills to manage YL in Peru. He’s led the Peruvian team through a real time of healing and has done a great job of preparing their ministry for new growth. I’ve been able to work with Alberto, his team of Area Directors and the Peruvian National Committee to help them analyze and plan to improve their ministry and it’s truly awesome to see how God is working in and through them.
Helping new ministries grow—
One of the most exciting parts of 2009 for Young Life in Latin America has been the growth of new ministries in Colombia and Mexico. In January and March I was able to help train the first team of Colombian volunteers. Alejandro Maldonado (aka Alejo) is our first staff member there and I’ve worked closely with Alejo this year, which has been a real joy. He’s done a great job of working with his pastor, Joaquin, a former YL leader from Peru, to raise up a group of dedicated volunteers and Christian adults to support this ministry and they’re now working with teens in two sections of Bogotá. I’m deeply impressed by this group of leaders and how they’re moving forward. Our work in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico has also been growing. Last spring we were able to help train their leadership team before their first outreach camp. A few weeks later they had over 40 teens come to camp who heard the gospel in a whole new way. Their offices were filled with calls from parents the next few weeks—some were excited about changes they’d seen in their kids, and others were asking when the next camp was because they had a son or daughter who wanted to go. It’s been a blessing to see the Peñasco team grow and watch their impact on teens blossom. In addition, we also have done a lot more work with the leadership of Young Life in our newer South American countries, helping better train leaders in Venezuela, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile.
Improving our Region’s training program—
We translated several key training pieces from English to Spanish and helped make our training materials available in Spanish on the YL website. We had multiple leaders visit other countries to receive training and share their own gifts in leadership. Also, several countries are implementing our new training program to help build up leaders, and we have a new student staff program starting with some great mentoring and training aspects built in. In short, we’ve taken some key steps to helping ensure we can better train and support leaders throughout Latin America while they train others and reach out to teens.
So 2009 has been a busy year and a good year. In Latin America, the number of YL ministries grew, the number of leaders grew, and the number of teens impacted grew. Yet through it all, in the end it isn’t the numbers or trainings that are important, but it’s the moments like the one in this quote that these numbers represent and these trainings help make happen. “Tonight at club the Gospel presentation is completed and kids are challenged to consider entering into relationship with Christ… Among them there are drug users, drug sellers, and others who have admitted to mugging people in the street. These are kids who desperately need a change in their lives. Please pray for them…”
Thanks for partnering with us and with Young Life in Latin America to help change these lives,
Scott and Jenn Miedema
For a little over a year now I’ve worked in my new role with Young Life as Training Coordinator for Latin America, so the coming end of 2009 provides a great time to look back and reflect. In so many ways it’s been a very good year and I’ve enjoyed this new position immensely as I’ve worked with leaders from 15 different countries in Latin America. Frederick Buechner once said Jesus “never approached from on high, but always in the midst, in the midst of people, in the midst of real life and the questions real life asks.” I’m continually amazed and blessed by the leaders I work with in Latin America and how they are able to enter with Jesus “in the midst” of the world of teens. A friend who met these leaders at one of our training events put it best when he said: “(they are) the leaders of leaders reaching out to the young people in countries all over Central and South America. They reach all levels of society. They reach into the poorest of the poor who live in garbage dumps. They reach the violent and those lost in the world of drugs and alcohol. They reach the most religious who have no clue about the need for a relationship with our Creator, and they reach those who have no desire to even consider God. With very little resources, they sacrifice their lives and give all they have to reach kids and to love Jesus. Can you tell that I am impressed with this group?"
I echo his thoughts. I’m greatly impressed with the group of leaders we have in Latin America and thankful for the role we get to play in supporting them and helping them bring Jesus in the midst. I want to share with you a few highlights from 2009 and how we’re helping support and train these leaders.
Some highlights from 2009—
The 1st ever Area Directors School for Latin America— Probably the highlight of the year for many of us with Young Life in Latin America. 65+ national leaders from 15 different countries gathered together to learn and grow. We mixed in 4 different languages (Spanish, Portuguese, Creole and English) and different experiences with teens, yet were clearly united by a love of Christ and heart for youth. It was a great Kingdom moment. This time was incredibly strategic, since these are the leaders who not only minister to teens in their countries, but train other leaders to do the same. The week together was great, but even better are the reports from leaders who have taken what they learned back to impact leaders in their own countries and who feel God is moving through what they’ve been able to share. One of our Brazilian leaders called their follow up training one of the most important times in the 40+ year history of their ministry!
Helping existing ministries through times of adjustment
Nicaragua’s national leaders have been in the midst of a major transition for the past year as their missionary founder retired and they’ve been challenged to take some big new steps in their national leadership. It’s been a joy to travel there several times to help train their senior leaders, help institute new training programs and camps for young leaders, and work alongside them to plan for the growing future of this ministry. Peru has also been in a real time of transition. Two years ago their ministry seemed to be falling apart, with personal conflicts and poor choices wreaking havoc with their leadership. But all that has changed radically: they’ve improved their work with leaders and not only have seen their existing ministries recover and grow, but they’ve even expanded into new areas. It’s been a real joy to work with their new National Director, Alberto Saenz, who left a higher paying job as a business manager to answer God’s call to use his skills to manage YL in Peru. He’s led the Peruvian team through a real time of healing and has done a great job of preparing their ministry for new growth. I’ve been able to work with Alberto, his team of Area Directors and the Peruvian National Committee to help them analyze and plan to improve their ministry and it’s truly awesome to see how God is working in and through them.
Helping new ministries grow—
One of the most exciting parts of 2009 for Young Life in Latin America has been the growth of new ministries in Colombia and Mexico. In January and March I was able to help train the first team of Colombian volunteers. Alejandro Maldonado (aka Alejo) is our first staff member there and I’ve worked closely with Alejo this year, which has been a real joy. He’s done a great job of working with his pastor, Joaquin, a former YL leader from Peru, to raise up a group of dedicated volunteers and Christian adults to support this ministry and they’re now working with teens in two sections of Bogotá. I’m deeply impressed by this group of leaders and how they’re moving forward. Our work in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico has also been growing. Last spring we were able to help train their leadership team before their first outreach camp. A few weeks later they had over 40 teens come to camp who heard the gospel in a whole new way. Their offices were filled with calls from parents the next few weeks—some were excited about changes they’d seen in their kids, and others were asking when the next camp was because they had a son or daughter who wanted to go. It’s been a blessing to see the Peñasco team grow and watch their impact on teens blossom. In addition, we also have done a lot more work with the leadership of Young Life in our newer South American countries, helping better train leaders in Venezuela, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile.
Improving our Region’s training program—
We translated several key training pieces from English to Spanish and helped make our training materials available in Spanish on the YL website. We had multiple leaders visit other countries to receive training and share their own gifts in leadership. Also, several countries are implementing our new training program to help build up leaders, and we have a new student staff program starting with some great mentoring and training aspects built in. In short, we’ve taken some key steps to helping ensure we can better train and support leaders throughout Latin America while they train others and reach out to teens.
So 2009 has been a busy year and a good year. In Latin America, the number of YL ministries grew, the number of leaders grew, and the number of teens impacted grew. Yet through it all, in the end it isn’t the numbers or trainings that are important, but it’s the moments like the one in this quote that these numbers represent and these trainings help make happen. “Tonight at club the Gospel presentation is completed and kids are challenged to consider entering into relationship with Christ… Among them there are drug users, drug sellers, and others who have admitted to mugging people in the street. These are kids who desperately need a change in their lives. Please pray for them…”
Thanks for partnering with us and with Young Life in Latin America to help change these lives,
Scott and Jenn Miedema
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